The present invention is directed to an auto-aligning ribbon splitter tool for gaining midspan access to an optical fiber ribbon. More particularly, the auto-aligning ribbon splitter divides any size optical fiber ribbon into two sub-unit ribbons containing an equal number of optical fibers.
For service and maintenance purposes, it often becomes necessary to perform splicing and termination operations on individual sub-units of an optical fiber ribbon. Further, it is desirable to perform such operations on only the particular sub-unit within the optical fiber ribbon without disturbing or damaging other sub-units within the ribbon.
Without the tool of the present invention, midspan separation is difficult at best, and poses a high threat to the optical fibers within the ribbon. The threat is particularly acute when the optical fibers are live, as is usually the case in a midspan access situation. Access to fibers at a midspan location is, therefore, typically limited to a peel procedure which exposes all of the individual fibers within the splittable ribbon, i.e., both sub-units have their protective sheath stripped off. If access is desired in only one of the ribbon sub-units at this midspan location, then the remaining exposed fibers are placed at unnecessary risk by having the protective sheath of their ribbon sub-unit removed.
Siecor sells a tool for splitting optical fiber ribbons into sub-unit ribbons. The Siecor tool is similar in nature to that described by U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,598. However, the Siecor tool is designed to work on preset ribbon dimensions. That is, the Siecor tool can:
split a Siecor optical fiber ribbon having 24 fibers into two sub-units of 12 fibers each; PA1 split a Siecor optical fiber ribbon having 12 fibers into two sub-units of 6 fibers each, into two sub-units wherein one sub-unit has 4 fibers and the other 8 fibers, or two sub-units wherein one sub-unit has 2 fibers and the other has 10 fibers; PA1 split a Siecor optical fiber ribbon having 8 fibers into two sub-units of 4 fibers each, or into two sub-units wherein one sub-unit has 2 fibers and the other has 6 fibers; PA1 split a Siecor optical fiber ribbon having 6 fibers into two sub-units wherein one sub-unit has 2 fibers and the other has 4 fibers; PA1 and can split a Siecor optical fiber ribbon having 4 fibers into two sub-units having 2 fibers each.
But the Siecor tool will not work for any other ribbon/sub-unit arrangement. Specifically, the Siecor tool cannot split an optical fiber ribbon having 6 fibers into two sub-units each having three fibers. That is, the Siecor tool cannot split a 6-fiber ribbon in half. Further, the Siecor tool is designed for Siecor's optical fiber ribbons, and is not universally applicable to any ribbon size made by any manufacturer. That is, the Siecor tool will not work on any other manufacturer's ribbon unless their ribbon is dimensionally identical to the Siecor design.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to automatically center any size ribbon, made by any manufacturer, to be split into two sub-units each having an equal number of optical fibers therein.